Soy checkoff hopes to help farmers gain value from higher-quality soybean meal
With animal ag having plenty of feed choices, it is crucial that farmers choose high-quality soybean varieties in order to keep quality up and demand high.
“It all starts with the quality of the soybean,” says Ronny Moser, Ph.D., managing director of research innovation and technical service at JBS United, a nutrition and health solutions provider to animal agriculture. “Quality is related to the nutrient composition of the soybean, and producing higher-quality soybean meal adds value both to the soybean farmer and animal ag.”
According to soy-checkoff-funded research, if farmers increase the protein content of their soybeans by 1 percentage point, the estimated processed value (EPV) generated could increase by between $7.70 and $12.96 per acre, depending on the state. EPV is driven by the combined value of soybean meal, oil and hulls, and in turn, reflects the price farmers could receive as a result of increasing demand by producing more of the components their customers need.
“Animal agriculture is the biggest end user of soybean meal, and they demand high-quality protein”, says Kari Vander Wal, soybean procurement manager at South Dakota Soybean Processors. “Soybean meal delivers nutrients and protein with a balanced amino-acid profile that is critical to animal health and performance.”
Soy’s nutritional bundle includes more than just protein
Protein is just one of the nutritional elements in soybean meal that poultry and livestock farmers look for. Amino acids, the building blocks of protein, are the key component in soybean meal’s nutritional bundle. Other key components include energy, vitamins and minerals.
“In diets for pigs and poultry, the three major components that contribute to the cost of the diet are energy, amino acids and phosphorus,” Moser says. “It’s important that soybean meal be high-quality to remain a contributor to the animal-feed market.”
U.S. soybean meal’s nutritional bundle makes it an excellent feed ingredient for poultry, swine and other livestock, says Nick Bajjalieh, Ph.D, a feed researcher involved in checkoff-funded research. In fact, he says, soybean meal has been a primary source of supplemental amino acids in animal feeds for more than 50 years.
“The U.S. has been providing high-quality soybean meal that contains the limiting amino acids needed in poultry and swine feeds,” explains Bajjalieh. “Soybean meal is used to complement the nutrient characteristics of other feed ingredients to achieve the targeted nutrient levels in the final feed produced.”
The balance of amino acids in U.S. soybean meal drives its use in feeds, but other characteristics offer value to customers as well.
In order to continue to provide customers with high-quality soybean meal that contains the important amino acids needed for poultry and swine feeds, Bajjalieh advises U.S. farmers to stay ahead of competitors by selecting high-quality soybean varieties.
“There is stiff competition from other feed sources,” says Bajjalieh, “but other sources do not support optimum health and growth. Therefore, there is a need for other supplemental sources of amino acids, which U.S. soybean meal can provide.”
Vander Wal agrees that it’s important for farmers to look at the quality offered by various varieties when they select their seed.
“Look at the protein and oil value of the soybean when it comes to variety selection,” she says. “These characteristics are important to continue to meet our customers’ demands. When you select your seed varieties, look at the whole picture, and consider both your needs and your customers’ needs. You will see the value-added benefit on your operation.”
Seed selection is a farmer’s best chance to increase value
Multiple factors affect soybean quality, some of which farmers can control, such as seed selection, and others that they can’t.
“Soil type and climate may be a part of the regional differentiation we see across the U.S.,” says Seth Naeve, Ph.D., University of Minnesota associate professor and extension agronomist. “Unfortunately, those are two things farmers can do little to change.
“However, there are several things farmers can do to increase protein levels in soybeans. Choosing a high-protein variety and selecting the appropriate maturity group are important – you want to choose plants that will mature under good conditions.”
Soybean farmers don’t have to choose between varieties that produce high yields and those with high protein content. Researchers at the University of Arkansas have bred a conventional soybean variety that delivers both.
University of Arkansas soybean breeder Pengyin Chen, Ph.D., says the new variety produces soybean meal with over 52 percent protein. The high protein level offers excellent feed efficiency for swine, poultry, beef and aquaculture producers.
Chen has been working for about a decade to produce a high-protein variety that didn’t suffer from yield drag.
“We have been able to break the linkage to get both yield and high protein,” Chen says. “Higher protein itself has not been hard to work with, but getting good protein with high yield has been a challenge.”
The new variety called UA 5814HP, was developed with support from the soy checkoff. It is a maturity-group-V soybean that averaged over 58 bushels per acre in four years of testing across Arkansas. It was also tested across several other southern states, averaging 64 bushels per acre overall. The variety has been released to the public, and Chen says the University of Arkansas is in discussions on possible licensing agreements.
“This variety is widely adapted to southern states and shows very good potential,” Chen says. “I am very excited because farmers don’t have to give up yield to get high protein.”
Other current varieties can produce high levels of protein without sacrificing yield. To find those varieties, ask your seed dealer or use the soy checkoff’s Soybean Quality Toolbox.